Beverlybaynes
Mod Squad
My city was the center of the largest human outbreak of West Nile Virus in the summer of 2002. And now it's back.
Today's morning paper has reported our first case -- the second in the country for 2003 -- in the south central part of the city, not far from where I work.
And although our local health boards have formulated a plan for combating WNV that has larvicides as their primary focus, with the emergence of a human case -- a child, unfortunately -- they will begin spraying tonight.
To their credit, they will be spraying the neighborhood only within a half-mile radius of the child's home, thereby limited the exposure of others to the spray.
But it's so sad to know that perhaps all the predictions of an outbreak worse than last year's may be coming true.
:-C
Today's morning paper has reported our first case -- the second in the country for 2003 -- in the south central part of the city, not far from where I work.
And although our local health boards have formulated a plan for combating WNV that has larvicides as their primary focus, with the emergence of a human case -- a child, unfortunately -- they will begin spraying tonight.
To their credit, they will be spraying the neighborhood only within a half-mile radius of the child's home, thereby limited the exposure of others to the spray.
But it's so sad to know that perhaps all the predictions of an outbreak worse than last year's may be coming true.
:-C